Access control is a process of restricting user access to computing devices, network accounts, applications, or data and is often achieved using simple password techniques requiring the user to enter a secret alphanumeric string of text known only to the user.
Graphical access control techniques (or visual login techniques) replace the textual password with what is referred to colloquially as a visual password, which some users may find easier to remember.
Graphical access control typically requires a user to select an image or sequences of images from a set of images or to select an object or sequence of objects from within an image. In other words, to gain access to a computing device, the user may trace out a two-dimensional pattern, select objects from an array in a predetermined sequence, or even touch objects in a digital photograph or in a graphically rendered virtual environment. The gesture, pattern or sequence of selections thus functionally represents a code that is secret to the user.
In known graphical access control techniques, the images or sets of images are generally two-dimensional and static. Security may be a problem, particularly in cases where the pattern or sequence is easily discernible by a casual observer. Accordingly, an improved graphical access control technique would be highly desirable. Such a technique is disclosed in the present specification.
It will be noted that throughout the appended drawings, like features are identified by like reference numerals.